Forever and Always
by xButterBitchx
Summary: Takes place during the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings in Japan on August 6 and 9, 1945. This event impacts the wedding Arthur and Kiku had planned-but not in a good way. AsaKiku. Inspiration Song: Forever and Always by Parachute


Forever And Always

** A/N: Hey guys~ So after seeing how some people liked my first fanfic, I thought I'd write another one, AsaKiku this time. Human names, 'cuz I wanted to try it out. Please, read and review! I don't own Hetalia in any way, shape, or form.**

It was August 6, 1945. Arthur Kirkland had been sitting at the café table for a few hours now. _Where is he?_ He wondered. His fiancé, Kiku, was supposed to have arrived a long time ago.

His worries faded for a bit as he thought about his lovely fiancé. That smooth black hair, deep chocolate eyes, and creamy white skin that only the short Japanese man possessed. Arthur loved him so very, very much.

The blond Brit flipped open his cell phone. The bright screen displayed the time; 8:16 P.M Maybe Kiku had texted him or called. However, upon glancing at the screen, Arthur found that there were no messages, voicemails, or missed calls-nothing.

He started to worry. What if something had happened to Kiku? Feeling a spark of nervousness growing inside him, Arthur dialed the number of someone he never expected he'd call-Francis. _Pick up the damn phone, you bloody frog._ Finally, the Frenchman answered. "_Allô_*?" came the obnoxious voice. "I didn't expect _you _of all people to call me, _Angleterre*_.

"Just shut up and listen, Francis," Arthur spat. "Have you seen Kiku anywhere today?" There was a moment of silence. "_Non,_ I'm afraid I haven't. He's been busy fighting off _Amérique*_, hasn't he?" Francis inquired.

Arthur sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. He and Alfred are pretty much at each other's necks at the moment," he replied with a heavy heart. "Well, thanks anyways. Goodbye, Francis." Without waiting for a reply, he quickly hung up.

Leaning back in the chair, he wondered if everything was okay. Hoping to catch a moment to spend with Kiku, he'd scheduled this café date. Kiku had said he'd show up. But that was 4 hours ago. Something had to have happened.

Suddenly, Arthur's phone vibrated. Checking the caller ID, he saw that it was…Yao Wang. Another unexpected call. Hesitating just a bit, Arthur pressed the 'answer' button. "Yes, hello?"

"Opium bastard, you better get your ass to the Shima Hospital!" The Chinese man's shrill, panicked voice sounded in Arthur's ear. "Kiku isn't in a good condition right now!"

That was enough for Arthur. He slammed the phone shut and nearly jumped out of his seat. Rushing out onto the sidewalk, he hailed a cab. "Take me to the airport, please," he said to the driver breathlessly. He needed to get to Japan.

Last he checked, the Shima Hospital was located in…Hiroshima City,

that was right. His heart raced throughout the entire drive. Thinking back to December, Arthur remembered a certain day in a park.

_ "Arthur-san…" Kiku mumbled. The Japanese man and the Englishman were sitting on a park bench in the cold of December, bundled up with only coats, scarves, and each other to keep warm. Kiku took Arthur's coarse hand in his much more slender one, slipping a simple silver ring on the ring finger. He gazed up at his lover and said, "I want you forever, forever and always…through the good, the bad, and the ugly. W-we'll grow old together, forever and always."_

_ Arthur had simply stared back at Kiku, a blush creeping over his face. Even though his Japanese lover had stuttered a bit, it was absolutely endearing. With a wide smile, he laced his fingers through Kiku's, noticing he also wore a silver ring. "We certainly will," he whispered, bending down to kiss his new fiancé. _

They had planned to have a summer wedding in Japan, during the middle of August because of the flowers and the fireworks and the joyous nights. Not to mention the delectable cuisine.

After what seemed like forever, the cab finally arrived at the airport in England. Thanking the driver and paying, Arthur stepped out. He ran to the building; there was no time to lose. Booking a flight to Hiroshima, Japan, he sank down into a chair and waited. It occurred to him that he hadn't even packed anything. Then again, it didn't matter.

Japan's life was the most important thing right now.

~~_Page Break~~_

It had taken two days to arrive in Japan, meaning it was now August 9th. Arthur drove up to the front of Shima Hospital in the car he'd rented, parking and exiting it. With quick strides, he entered and walked up to the front desk. The nurses sitting there looked up and, recognizing him, immediately stood up. They gestured for him to follow, leading Arthur down a seemingly never-ending maze of white hallways. Finally, they stopped in front of a room. Taking a deep breath, the Englishman opened the door and stepped in.

A white room, white as snow, swallowed him. There was nothing in the room except for a window and a hospital bed, an IV drip and heart rate monitor sitting next to said bed.

And in the middle of the bed sat the dark-haired beauty that was Kiku Honda. The Chinese man, Yao Wang, was perched on the edge of the bed, clasping Kiku's thin hand. Arthur wanted to be the one holding it.

When Arthur walked in, Yao got up. "About time you arrived." He walked over to the taller blonde man, poking him sharply in the chest. "Stay with Japan; he wanted you," he explained, heading out the room.

Gulping, the blonde Brit approached the bed hesitantly. He hoped to god Kiku was alright. Seating himself in the spot where Yao had previously been, he intertwined his fingers with the Japanese man's.

Kiku's eyes, which had previously been closed, fluttered open slowly. "…Arthur-san?" he whispered, regaining consciousness. "Is that you?"

A small smile appeared on Arthur's worried face. "Yes, love, I'm here," he responded softly. "What…happened?"

Kiku groaned and sank into the bed's soft mattress. "A-Alfred-kun and his men…bombed two of my cities…"

Arthur's green eyes widened slightly. "He did this?" he asked incredulously. He knew Kiku and Alfred had been locked in a not-so-little fight for a while, but he'd expected the American to back off after Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Then again, battles were always going to be inevitable.

Kiku didn't look so good. His creamy skin was paler than usual-a ghostly white. There were dark gray shades of sleep-deprivation underneath his eyes, and Arthur could see dark red burn scars showing on the exposed parts of Kiku's skin. It almost made Arthur cry. Then Kiku took in a breath and spoke again: "Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those were the cities. So many people dead…so many injured…" Tears welled up in his dull brown eyes.

Arthur gently stroked his lover's hand. "Shh, everything will be fine," he soothed. On the inside, he was falling apart. _How long will it take for Kiku to recover? What if he…no. I can't let myself think about such things. Kiku will be absolutely fine. _

He found himself nervously eyeing the heart rate monitor. Kiku's voice shook as he tried to find his voice. "I'm sorry if I leave you-" he began, but Arthur pressed a finger against Kiku's lips, hushing him. "You won't leave me. We made a promise; forever and always," he murmured. Kiku smiled sadly, and nodded. Arthur moved to sit right next to his fiancé, wrapping an arm around his slender frame and pulling him in. The smaller Asian winced a bit out of pain. Arthur leaned down to rest his head against Kiku's. "You'll always be here. And we'll have beautiful children together too, somehow," he assured lovingly. "The wedding will be perfect…and we'll have a nice house, just for the two of us. Nothing will break the bonds of our love." These words made Kiku close his eyes and smile even wider, as he slowly drifted off against the Englishman. With a content sigh, Arthur soon fell asleep as well.

_~~Page Break~~_

The following morning, Arthur woke up confused. _Where am I? _he wondered briefly. Then he remembered-he was in the Shima Hospital. Looking down, he saw that Kiku was still tucked into the crook of his arm. Smiling softly, he pressed a kiss to the man's cheek, which woke him up. Kiku coughed violently. Arthur froze; when had Kiku begun coughing?

Trying to mask the shock in his voice, he said a cheerful 'good morning' to his ailing lover. Kiku opened his mouth to return the greeting, but lapsed into another hacking fit.

Arthur couldn't ignore the rising fear in his heart. He had to face the truth; Kiku might not make it.

His suspicions were confirmed a moment later. Kiku grabbed Arthur's wrist quickly. "I want to tell you this…I apologize for not letting you know sooner. The doctor said that I have radiation from the atomic bomb…I'm not going to make it," he gasped.

Arthur felt like someone had just dropped a stomping elephant on his chest. It _hurt. _This wasn't how we wanted things to end. Countries weren't supposed to die!

Panicking for a minute, he came up with an idea. "Th-then why don't we just have the wedding now?" he suggested. Kiku blinked, surprised. "Oh…" Then he nodded firmly. "Yes, let's do it."

So, Arthur called in a few nurses, who were able to bring a chaplain from a nearby church with remarkable speed. With emotion, he delivered a concise speech consisting of a few Bible verses meant for weddings. By now, a couple of other patients had gathered outside the open door, wanting to bear witness to the event. When the phrase "you may now kiss the bride" was said, Arthur cupped Kiku's chin and kissed him; a kiss full of the sorrow, joy, and love that the British man felt.

Everyone in the room started clapping, cheering, and laughing. Arthur and Kiku smiled at each other through the tears, glad to finally be wed to each other-even if it wasn't in the way or setting that they'd expected.

As the joyful air started to dissipate, Arthur happened to glance at the heartrate monitor again.

The beeps were getting slower and slower.

Arthur swung his head around to look at his lover again, immense fear in his eyes. Kiku just wore a melancholy smile as he returned the gaze. He weakly stretched up towards Arthur; with realization, Arthur gave his dying lover the last kiss they'd ever share. "Forever and always?" Kiku asked quietly, his eyelids lowering faster by the second. Glistening tears chased each other down Arthur's cheeks as he swallowed and nodded. "Forever and always," he responded, his voice cracking.

With a peaceful sigh, Kiku leaned back in the bed, and the monitor flatlined.

Everyone in the room went silent.

Arthur sat there in silence, the tears still flowing.

Eventually, he was ushered out of the room by the nurses. Kiku had to be taken away.

He blindly stumbled out the hospital's front door and into the warm summer air.

_What do I do now?_

Pretty soon the calls and messages would be flooding his phone, all of them expressing sorrow, grief, and pity. None of those was what he needed. He needed Kiku. He needed to hear that sweet laugh, see that captivating smile, and feel that smooth skin again. But Kiku was gone.

Kiku was _gone. _

The tragic reality of it hit Arthur full in the face; he fell to the ground on his knees, sobbing brokenheartedly. _Damn you, Alfred, DAMN YOU! This is all YOUR fault! _The Brit needed to push his anger somewhere; the offender of this terrible occurrence was his first choice.

Arthur could almost feel Kiku beside him, holding his hand and reassuring him that they'd have a wonderful life together. Rising to his feet again slowly, he stared at his left hand, specifically at the wedding ring resting on one of the fingers. He brought his knuckles up to lips, a smile forming on his still tear-streaked face.

_Forever and always, my dear._


End file.
